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Prime Minister Jason Kenney says he would back his longtime leadership foe Brian Jean in a bid for a UCP nomination if that’s what party members want.
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Jean announced Wednesday that he would run for the nomination in an upcoming Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche provincial election.
At an unrelated press conference on Friday, Kenney said, “I would stand by whoever the members elect,” while taking the opportunity to criticize Jean’s record in politics.
“I’m sure local members will have some doubts about his trustworthiness given that he did not complete his term as a member of parliament, (nor) he did not complete his term as an MLA,” said Kenney, who also pointed to Jean’s public statements in support. from other political parties, even suggesting a similar party in Alberta to the Saskatchewan Party.
No date has been set for the by-election, but it must be called before February 15.
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Jean was first elected as a federal deputy in 2004, but resigned in 2014, citing a desire to focus on his personal life. His Ottawa successor from Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, David Yurdiga, resigned just before the federal election. citing private medical issues . That opened the door for UCP MLA provincial Laila Goodridge to resign her provincial seat and ultimately win federal leadership under Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party of Canada, leaving the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche provincial leadership open for election. provincial.
Jean returned to politics in 2015 under the Wildrose provincial banner, eventually securing the leadership. After the UCP and Progressive Conservative parties merged, Jean lost the 2017 UCP leadership race to Kenney. Jean resigned from his position in 2018.
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Jean said in a statement to Postmedia on Friday afternoon that in both cases, he resigned to spend time “with close family members who were sick and dying. I think it’s the right and decent thing to do and I won’t apologize for that. “
Jean’s sister had a serious bout of cancer in 2014 and died in 2019. Her son was ill with an undiagnosed ailment in 2014 and died in 2015 before Jean gained leadership of Wildrose.
In a Facebook video posted on Friday, Jean answered questions about why she left politics and said it was what Kenney wanted her to do in 2018.
Earlier this week, Jean told Postmedia columnist Rick Bell who had applied to Elections Alberta, and suggested that with Kenney at the helm, the UCP would lose an overwhelming majority to Rachel Notley’s NDP.
“I have asked Jason Kenney to resign. I keep it, ”Jean told Bell.
Reference-edmontonjournal.com